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Updated: Jun 12, 2025
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Method for Recording Broadband High Resolution Emission Spectra of Laboratory Lightning Arcs
Published on: August 27, 2019
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Effects of urbanization on cloud-to-ground lightning strike frequency: a global perspective
J Pablo Narvaez1,2, Stephen P Yanoviak1,3, Phillip M Bitzer4
1Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Apartado 0843-03092, Balboa, Panama.
Journal of the Royal Society, Interface
|September 24, 2024
Summary
Urbanization increases local lightning strikes, a phenomenon known as lightning enhancement. This study reveals that elevated urban temperatures and precipitation are key drivers of this effect globally.
Area of Science:
- Atmospheric Science
- Urban Climatology
- Meteorology
Background:
- Urbanization is known to influence local weather patterns, including an increase in lightning frequency, termed the 'lightning enhancement' effect.
- However, the global prevalence and underlying drivers of urban lightning enhancement remain poorly understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To conduct a global assessment of cloud-to-ground lightning strikes across 349 cities.
- To evaluate how geography, climate, air pollution, topography, and urban development influence the likelihood and magnitude of lightning enhancement.
Main Methods:
- Analyzed cloud-to-ground lightning strike data from 349 cities worldwide.
- Correlated lightning enhancement with variables such as temperature, precipitation, air pollution, topography, and urban extent.
Main Results:
- The likelihood of lightning enhancement increased with higher urban temperatures and precipitation, greater regional lightning strike frequency, distance from water bodies, and lower elevations.
- Lightning enhancement was more pronounced in cities with significant urban heat islands, elevated urban precipitation, higher regional lightning activity, larger urban areas, and lower latitudes.
Conclusions:
- Elevated urban temperature and precipitation are identified as dominant mechanisms driving local lightning enhancement.
- These findings highlight the significant impact of urban development on local atmospheric electrical activity.
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